Simoncelli Family Creates Simoncelli Foundation In Memory Of Marco

Submitted by David Emmett on Sat, 2011-12-24 00:08

The death of Marco Simoncelli at Sepang earlier this year was utterly tragic, but some good will yet come from the popular Italian's demise. On Thursday, Simoncelli's parents, girlfriend and sister announced that the final documents had been signed to create the foundation set up in Marco Simoncelli's name. The Marco Simoncelli Fondazione has been set up as a non-profit organization, with the aim of helping those in dire need.

Exactly which projects will receive funds gathered through the foundation is yet to be decided, though Paolo Simoncelli, Marco's father, is keen to use the money as effectively as possible. According to GPOne.com, projects could include helping children with special care needs, such as extremely rare diseases, receive treatment and care. Paolo Simoncelli also said his initial impulse was to support large projects, but that such projects were fraught with danger. The foundation could instead support a few much smaller causes, as it is easier to exercise more control over such initiatives and ensure that the money is spent directly on helping those in need.

A number of events are to be organized to raise funds, starting off with a special "birthday celebration" event on January 20th, the day of Simoncelli's birthday. That evening will see several figures from the world of motorcycle racing at the event, along with a number of TV celebrities and comedians appearing on stage. A memorial day will be held at the Misano circuit in late August, and the foundation is also organizing a competition to redesign the Misano circuit's logo.

The foundation is now open for donations and members. You can join the foundation over on the Marco Simoncelli Fondazione website, and on January 20th, the full website will go online with full details of the foundation's aims and benefits. The foundation is also helping to give the Simoncelli family a sense of direction and a feeling of actively doing something to keep the memory of the Italian alive, a welcome feeling in the long, dark nights of winter.